Migration is part of our history and part of the history of our nations and civilization.

As MEDEL recalled in the Palma Declaration for Refugees and Migrants of 11 March 2017[1], migration is nowadays the story of a huge humanitarian tragedy taking place in front of our eyes, in our seas, where thousands of migrants, escaping from war and starvation, lose their lives.

The same tragedy continues in Libyan detention centres, where migrants are systematically denied their fundamental right to asylum and the possibility to reach the countries where this right can be assessed and eventually granted. In addition to this, they are also victims of inhuman and degrading treatment, as recently confirmed by the UN secretary general on the basis of the inquiry of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya[2].

In view of the migration flows that we are experiencing nowadays no one can feel as a passive witness. Ginetta Sagan once wrote “silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor”.

What is going on right now in the Mediterranean puts seriously into question the democratic identity of Europe, as well as the universality and indivisibility of the fundamental rights that are part of its moral and spiritual heritage, for the enjoyment of which the European Union took over “responsibilities and duties” towards the whole human community and future generations. Such responsibilities and duties impose Europe the obligation to put an end to tragedies at sea, to take migrants to a safe place with the absolute prohibition, as stated by several international treaties and our European Courts[3], of a refoulement to places where they run the risk of suffering torture and/or inhuman or degrading treatments.

To rescue migrants at sea and taking them to a safe place represents not only a legal obligation but also a moral duty.

During these years, the activity of NGOs has counteracted the passivity of States and Europe, ensuring the only way to guarantee the lives of thousands of migrants at risk in the Mediterranean by taking them to safe place, and by that responding to the “ethical imperative” that imposes putting in the first place the life and physical integrity of refugees in severe situations of vulnerability.

Thanks to the rescue operations of “Proactiva Open Arms”, 59.000 migrants were saved from drowning in the Mediterranean, that way preventing the already-shameful-number of deaths recorded this year to increase. As a recognition to the value of this humanitarian work, which represents the practical translation of a strong commitment for the defence of fundamental rights in the name of solidarity and human dignity that are part of our civilization and culture, MEDEL has decided to nominate “Proactiva Open Arms” for the 2018 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

While confirming our full respect for the decisions issued by the judicial authorities about the rescue operations that “Proactiva Open Arms” performed on 15 March 2018, we deem appropriate to recall that the assessment of the legality of a rescue mission at sea cannot disregard the primacy of ensuring, in any circumstance, the safety of migrants and the humanitarian goals underlying all rescue operations.

We here recall the statement of MEDEL of October 7th, 2013[4], which is still unfortunately valid: in the preamble of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the European Nations have clearly stated that “the Union is founded on the indivisible, universal values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity” and that “enjoyment of these rights entails responsibilities and duties with regard to other persons, to the human community and to future generations”.

It is time for the European Union to prove that those are not meaningless words.

[2] See also, Hirsi Jamaa and others v. Italy [GC], no. 27765/09, paragraphs 33 to 42, as well as paragraphs 123 to 138 where the European Court of Human Rights enumerated and analysed the most relevant international material concerning the situation of migrants in Libya.

Privacy Policy

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I Accept

1. GENERAL

MEDEL, ("MEDEL", "we", "us", "our"), respects your privacy and your personal data. MEDEL therefore complies with the applicable provisions on the protection, processing and confidentiality of personal data as well as data security, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR").

We are pleased that you are visiting our website and that you are interested in our company. We take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We would like you to be comfortable and feel secure as you visit our Internet sites. We handle personal data in accordance with the data privacy regulations.

MEDEL websites may contain links to the websites of other providers that this data privacy declaration does not cover. The purpose and scope of the data collection as well as the further processing and use of your data fall to the respective operators. Please obtain the full details from their data protection information.

In the following, you are informed which personal data we may gather and for which purpose it may be processed during your visit and use of our website www.medelnet.eu ("Website").

2. WHAT IS PERSONAL DATA?

Personal data is information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify a natural or legal person (eg name, e-mail address or IP address).

3. COLLECTION OF PERSONAL DATA DURING INFORMATIONAL USE

During the purely informational use of the website we collect no data, with the exception of data that your browser communicates to enable your visit to the website. The data are:

IP address

Date and time of the request

Time zone difference compared to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

Content of the request (specific page)

Access status/HTTP status code

Data quantity transferred in each case

Website from which the request comes

Browser

Operating system and its interface

Language and version of the browser software

Further personal data is collected and used solely with your consent (eg for sending newsletters or event information) and in the extent required therefore. You may withdraw this consent declaration at any time with effect for the future (eg via e-mail to office@medelnet.eu).

4. HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?

In the event that you contact MEDEL, including all the identified facilities and distributors, using e-mail or the contact form, we will store your e-mail address and, if submitted, your name and telephone number so we can answer your questions.

The log files collected are only used for statistical evaluations in an aggregated form for the purpose of operation, security and optimization of the Website (overriding legitimate interests).

(1) This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses "cookies," which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyse how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. In case of activation of the IP anonymization, Google will truncate/anonymize the last octet of the IP address for Member States of the European Union as well as for other parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases, the full IP address is sent to and shortened by Google servers in the USA. On behalf of the website provider, Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and Internet usage to the website provider.

(2) Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.

(3) You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. However, please note that if you do this, you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.

(4) Furthermore, you can prevent Google's collection and use of data generated by cookies and related to your use of the website (including cookies and IP address) as well as the processing of the data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en-GB

(5) This website uses Google Analytics with the extension "_anonymiseIp()". The IP addresses are thus shortened before further processing, ruling out direct references to persons.

(6) Use of MailChimpConcerning the data processing activity e-mail marketing we use MailChimp for sending you information, news, statements or invitations. They are situated outside the EU and store the data provided by us and analyse the reaction behaviour. The data transfer is based on an electronic contract in line with the standard EU contract clauses. Here the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy of MailChimp: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/

(7) Using AddThisAddThis provides us with tools that collect information from visitors to our website. This information does not directly identify an individual and is instead designed to identify the devices used by your visitors. These email addresses are not used for online behavioral advertising. Here is the AddThis privacy policy: https://www.addthis.com/privacy

Any further use of your personal data will only take place with your consent.

5. COOKIES

Cookies are also stored on your computer during your use of the website. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your hard drive associated with the browser you are using and through which certain information flows to the entity placing the cookies (us, in this case). Cookies cannot execute programs or transmit viruses to your computer. Their purpose is to make an Internet presence more user-friendly and efficient overall.

6. DO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION?

We will not share your personal data collected through your use of the Website with others, unless it is required for the fulfilment of our obligations or required to comply with mandatory laws/authority requests.

7. HOW DO WE PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION?

We do our utmost to make your visit and use of our Website as safe as possible. MEDEL maintains up-to-date technical measures to ensure data security, especially to protect your personal data from risks during data transmission and from access to the information by third parties. Each of these measures is suitably updated to the current state of technology.

8. YOUR RIGHTS

According to Art 32 GDPR, you have the right to access, rectification, deletion, restriction of processing and data portability as well as a right to object.

At any time, you have the right to ask us for information about the data relating to you that are stored with us as well as the information's origin, recipients or categories of recipients to whom it has been forwarded and the purpose of the storage. Please address all requests for information, information-related inquiries or objections to data processing by e-mail to office@medelnet.eu.

Further, you can withdraw consent declarations at any time without stating a reason in order to hinder further processing of your personal data that has been collected and used based on a consent declaration.

9. DATA STORAGE

Your data will be deleted in accordance to positive law. If your personal data is no longer needed, it will be deleted in our systems and documentation or anonymised to prevent you from identification.

10. FINAL PROVISIONS

In the course of the further development of the internet, MEDEL will also continue to adjust this Privacy Policy.

We will announce modifications on our Website in a timely manner. Therefore, you should access this policy regularly in order to inform yourself of the current version.